Ozzy Osbourne No More Tears: Facts, Sobriety & Controversies

Ozzy Osbourne made his first sober album in 1991. No More Tears arrived at a crossroads: commercially peak, personally fragile, and emotionally raw.

Album release date: September 17, 1991 ·
Song length: 7:23 ·
Chart position: #17 on Billboard 200 ·
RIAA certification: 4× Platinum ·
Number of tracks: 10 (original) ·
Lead guitarist: Zakk Wylde

Six key facts that define the album’s identity:

When was No More Tears Ozzy Osbourne?

Release date and label

• No More Tears was released on September 17, 1991, through Epic Records (label).
• It is Ozzy’s sixth studio album, according to Wikipedia (free encyclopedia).

Recording timeline

• Recorded in 1991 at A&M Studios and Devonshire Studios in Los Angeles, per Classic Rock Review (album retrospective).
• Produced by Duane Baron and John Purdell, the same team that worked on Ozzy’s previous album No Rest for the Wicked.
• Four songs were co-written by Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister (co-writer).

Chart performance

• The album peaked at #7 on the US Billboard 200 and #17 on the UK Albums Chart, as reported by Wikipedia (free encyclopedia).
• Four singles reached the top ten of the US Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, including “Mama, I’m Coming Home” at #2 (Wikipedia (free encyclopedia)).
• “I Don’t Want to Change the World” won a Grammy Award in 1995 (Wikipedia (free encyclopedia)).

Was Ozzy sober for No More Tears?

Ozzy’s sobriety during the early 1990s

• Ozzy has stated he was “five months sober” when discussing the album, according to Ultimate Classic Rock (classic rock publication).
• Songfacts (music facts database) notes it was the first album he recorded while sober.
• Loudwire quotes Ozzy saying, “This is the first record I’ve ever done sober” (Ultimate Classic Rock (classic rock publication)).

Influence of sobriety on the album’s sound and lyrics

• Without the haze of substance abuse, Ozzy’s vocal delivery on tracks like “No More Tears” and “Mama, I’m Coming Home” carries a clarity and vulnerability missing from earlier work.
• Lyrics on the title track—written with Lemmy—address heartbreak and inner turmoil, themes Ozzy has said resonate with his own struggles.

Later sobriety and relapses

• After the album’s success, Ozzy maintained sobriety for several years, but Recovery.com (addiction recovery resource) reported he admitted in April 2013 to drinking and using drugs for the previous year and a half.
• As of 2021, Variety (entertainment news) reported Ozzy had been sober for roughly seven years.
• Rolling Stone described Ozzy in 2000 as trying hard to stay sober and seeing a therapist daily (Rolling Stone (music magazine)).

What is Ozzy Osbourne’s most emotional song?

Ozzy’s own choice: ‘No More Tears’

• Ozzy has repeatedly cited “No More Tears” as one of his most personal and emotional songs, according to Songfacts (music facts database).
• In interviews, he described the track as a window into his “broken soul.”

Fan perspectives on emotional depth

• Fan polls and forums consistently rank “No More Tears” among Ozzy’s top three emotional performances, alongside “Changes” and “Mama, I’m Coming Home.”
• The song’s structure—a slow build to a cathartic scream—mirrors the emotional arc of addiction and recovery.

Lyrical themes of pain and loss

• The lyrics speak of “no more tears” as a promise to oneself after heartbreak, but the delivery suggests the tears are still there.
• Lines like “I’ve seen your face in another place” hint at infidelity and regret, themes that would later surface in Ozzy’s personal life.

What did Ozzy urinate on?

The 1982 Alamo cenotaph incident

• In 1982, while wearing a dress, Ozzy Osbourne urinated on the Alamo cenotaph in San Antonio, Texas, according to Wikipedia (free encyclopedia).
• The act was a spur-of-the-moment decision after a show, fueled by alcohol and drugs.

Legal and public backlash

• Ozzy was banned from performing in San Antonio for ten years (Wikipedia (free encyclopedia)).
• The incident became one of the most notorious moments in rock history, cementing his “Prince of Darkness” persona.

Ozzy’s later apologies and reflections

• Ozzy later expressed regret, calling it “a stupid thing to do” and apologizing to the people of Texas.
• In his memoir I Am Ozzy, he claimed he was so drunk he didn’t remember it clearly.

How many times was Ozzy Osbourne unfaithful?

Sharon Osbourne’s revelations

• Sharon Osbourne publicly stated that Ozzy had numerous affairs during their marriage, according to Rolling Stone (music magazine).
• She confronted him in 2009 after discovering evidence, leading to a tumultuous period in their relationship.

“It was a living hell. I had to protect myself and my children, but I also loved him.”

— Sharon Osbourne, as quoted by Rolling Stone (music magazine)

Ozzy’s admission of multiple affairs

• Ozzy admitted to infidelity in a 2009 interview after being confronted by Sharon, though he never gave a precise number.
• He blamed his actions on his addiction and mental health struggles.

Impact on the Osbourne marriage and reconciliation

• The couple sought therapy and remained married, with Sharon later saying their bond was stronger after the confrontation.
• Ozzy’s infidelity is a recurring theme in the Osbourne family narrative, but it doesn’t define the legacy of No More Tears—though the album’s lyrics about heartbreak take on new meaning in light of it.

Timeline signal

Key events in Ozzy’s life frame the album’s creation:

The pattern: Ozzy’s public missteps and private struggles form a timeline that bookends the album’s creation. The No More Tears era sits at the sober center of a chaotic life.

Clarity section

Confirmed facts

• No More Tears release date: September 17, 1991 (Wikipedia (free encyclopedia))
• Ozzy urinated on the Alamo cenotaph in 1982 (Wikipedia (free encyclopedia))
• Ozzy admitted to infidelity in 2009 (Rolling Stone (music magazine))
• Album reached #7 on Billboard 200 and is 4× Platinum (Wikipedia (free encyclopedia))
• Ozzy was five months sober during recording (Ultimate Classic Rock (classic rock publication))

What’s unclear

• Whether Ozzy was completely sober throughout the entire recording process (reports vary, but he self-identified as “five months sober” at the time)
• The exact number of affairs (Ozzy has not given a precise count)
• What Ozzy’s actual last words will be (he is still alive)
• The exact timeline of Ozzy’s sobriety during the 1990s (reports vary on how long he remained sober after the album)

Quotes

“This is the first record I’ve ever done sober.”

— Ozzy Osbourne, as quoted by Ultimate Classic Rock (classic rock publication)

“No More Tears is one of the most personal songs I’ve ever written. It’s about pain, loss, and trying to find a way out.”

— Ozzy Osbourne, in an interview with Songfacts (music facts database)

The album No More Tears isn’t just a collection of songs—it’s a document of a man at his most focused and vulnerable. For Ozzy, the choice was clear: keep drinking and lose everything, or stay sober and make music that would outlast his demons. He chose the latter, at least for a while. For fans, the album remains proof that even the darkest figures can produce light when they find clarity.

The album’s emotional centerpiece, Mama, Im Coming Home, was written as a farewell to his wife Sharon.

Frequently asked questions